CASUALTY CW AGENTSCasualty CW agents can cause death or severelyincapacitate personnel for long periods of time.Casualty agents can be either persistent ornonpersistent. They are classed as blood, choking,nerve, and blister agents, all of which can inflict seriousinjury or death.Some casualty agents have a cumulative effect,which means that successive doses add to the effect ofeach preceding dose. You might receive a nonlethaldose of a nerve agent, for example, followed within afew hours by another nonlethal dose. However, thecumulative effects of the two exposures could kill you.INCAPACITATING CW AGENTSIncapacitating CW agents temporarily disablepersonnel but do not create permanent injury. They canproduce physiological and/or psychological effects.These effects make individuals incapable of performingduties for hours or days even after exposure has ceased.Some incapacitating agents have effects thattypically last for significant periods of time but do notseriously endanger life; for example, riot control agents.Riot control agents produce only temporarily irritatingor incapacitating effects when used in normalconcentrations. Complete recovery is usually expectedwithout medical treatment.EFFECTS OF CW AGENTSCW agents will make you a casualty when yourbody comes in contact with a bigger dose than it canwithstand. The limits of tolerance of the human bodyvary from short periods of exposure and lowconcentrations of certain agents to extended periods ofexposure and high concentrations of certain otheragents. Furthermore, the limits of tolerance to specificagents vary with individuals. Your principal concern isrecognizing the symptoms and relieving the effects ofexposure before the limit of exposure is exceeded.Nerve AgentsPoisoning by nerve agents affects bodily functions.The disruption of nerve impulses produces differenteffects on different body systems. Its important for youto recognize both mild and severe signs and symptomsof nerve agent poisoning. Mild symptoms will becomesevere if personnel are repeatedly or continuallyexposed to low concentrations of a nerve agent. Highconcentrations of nerve agent poisoning will causerapid onset of severe symptoms, possibly without anymild symptoms at all. The symptoms of nerve poisoningare shown in the following chart:13-3Student Notes:MILD SYMPTOMSSEVERE SYMPTOMSUnexplained runny noseUnexplained sudden headacheExcessive sudden droolingDifficulty seeing (reduced vision or miosis)Tightness in chest, difficulty breathingLocalized sweating and muscular twitching in the areaof contaminated skinStomach crampsNauseaStrange or confused behaviorWheezing, difficult, or labored respiration and coughSeverely pinpointed pupilsRed eyes with tearingVomitingSevere muscular twitching and general weaknessInvoluntary urination and defecationConvulsionsUnconsciousnessRespiratory failure